Carmel woman killed, husband seriously injured in ATV accident

CARMEL, Maine — Police suspect alcohol was a factor in an ATV accident that killed a Carmel woman and left her husband seriously injured Friday evening, according to officials.

Joyce Girt, 58, was found dead and her husband, Robert Girt, 67, was pinned underneath his four-wheeler when Etna Fire and Rescue personnel responded at about 8:30 p.m. to a report of an ATV accident on Deer Run Lane, off Etna Pond Road, in Carmel, according to a news release from Maine Warden Service spokesman John MacDonald.

Joyce Girt’s body was found lying in a driveway next to her Arctic Cat four-wheeler, which was neither running nor in gear. Her body has been taken to Augusta for autopsy, but initial indications are that she suffered head injuries when she fell off the ATV.

Robert Girt complained of head, neck and leg pain, according to the release. He was initially taken by LifeFlight to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and was then transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Officials suspect alcohol was a factor in the accident, which was not witnessed, but the incident remains under investigation.

“The circumstances are rare for sure,” MacDonald said via email Saturday morning. “Interviews are ongoing to help determine the cause of this incident.”

Wardens Jim Fahey, David Georgia, and Sergeant Ralph Hosford were assisted by Penobscot County Sheriff’s Deputy Noel Santiago and members of Etna Fire and Rescue.